Auxiliary door, including interchangeable sashes and storage compartment



-Nov. 15, 1955 Filed May 1, 1951 W. E. PETTERSEN AUXILIARY DOOR, INCLUDING INTERCHANGEABLE SASHES AND STORAGE COMPARTMEN'I 2 Sheets-Sheet l nvmvrozz. M/MBER E. PETTfRSf/V BY LAM T icdrwww Nov. 15, 1955 w. E. PETTERSEN 2,723,713

AUXILIARY DOOR, INCLUDING INTERCHANGEABLE SASHES AND STORAGE COMPARTMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1951 United States Patent Wilber E. Pettersen, Cleveland Heights, to The Weather-Proof C0., Cleveland, ration of Ohio Application May 1, 1951, Serial No. 223,866 6 Claims. (Cl. 160-19) Ohio, assignor Ohio, a corpo- This invention relates to improvements in doors or the like, and it has to do more particularly with an improved auxiliary door especially of the kind commonly referred to as a combined storm and screen door.

One object of the invention is to provide a compact auxiliary door including interchangeable glazed and screen sashes, and a compartment wherein the idle sashes may be easily and quickly placed for storage and protection from the elements, provisions being made to hold all sashes against rattle or vibration when the door is opened or closed or subjected to drafts.

Another and related object is to provide a receptacle that serves as a closure for the storage compartment and wherein the idle sashes are contained, and which interfits with the frame of the door in such manner as to facilitate insertion and removal, said receptacle, when in place, having the appearance of a panel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door of the class described comprising stiles that are connected together at their upper and lower ends by top and bottom rails, respectively, and wherein the opening defined by said stiles and rails is separated by intermediate crossrails into a plurality of subdivisions of substantially equal area, the bottom one of which subdivisions serves as a storage compartment, while the ones thereabove constitute sash openings; and to provide, with the foregoing, a plurality of interchangeable sashes of a number twice that of the sash openings, and panels for closing the storage compartmentat front and rear, at least one of which panels is readily removable, the sashes desirably being of uniform thickness, and the depth of the storage space between said panels being approximately the total thickness of half the number of sashes.

The. foregoing objects and advantages, with others that will be brought out in the course of the following description, are attained in the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like reference characters, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of my improved auxiliary door as it appears from the outside;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door, on the line 22 of Fig. 1, and on a scale considerably enlarged over that of the previous view, parts being broken out for the purpose of contracting the view in a vertical direction;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, drawn to the scale of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary inside elevational view, showing the parts appearing-in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary inside elevational view of the door, drawn to the scale of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail of the door as viewed from the outside, in the region of a joint between one of the cross-rails and one of the stiles;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the end portion of the cross-rail .shown in Figs. 7 and 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail of the lower left hand cor- 2 I ner of the door, as viewed in Fig. 1, with parts broken away to show the adjustable bottom strip;

Fig. 11 is an elevational view, looking from the left of Fig. 10, and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bottom strip.

In the production of the door, an open frame is constructed of stiles 1 and 2, a top rail 3, and a bottom rail 4; and the opening of this frame is separated into a number of subdivisions of substantially equal size, three being shown, by cross-rails 8 and 9.

The stiles and rails are made of sheet metal, according to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, and each is formed, as by rolling operations, to a crosssectional shape peculiarly suited to its purpose, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The top and intermediate subdivisions provide sash openings, designated A and B, respectively, and the bottom subdivision constitutes a storage compartment C.

The stiles 1 and 2 consist of hollow elongated elements having the same cross-section and cut to the required length for the door that is to be constructed. Each stile, as best appears from Figs. 4 and 5, includes parallel front and rear walls 10 and 11, an inner edge wall 12, and an outer edge Wall'13, the latter being inset from the corresponding edges of said front and rear walls resulting in double thickness flanges 14 that extend along the edges of the wall 13. The longitudinal edges of the elongated piece of sheet metal from which the stile is fabricated are connected together by an interlocking seam 15, and this seam is disposed inside the plane of the outer edges of the flanges 14. These flanges and the seam impart strength and rigidity to the stiles. The inner edge wall 12 is configurated to provide a relatively deep inwardly extending flange 16, formed by a double thickness of the material, and a narrow groove 17 closely adjacent the rear side of said flange. The flange 16 is desirably inset slightly from the plane of the front wall 10.

The top rail 3 includes parallel front and rear walls 20 and 21, respectively; an inset top wall 22, and an inner edge wall 24, the latter being formed to provide an inner double thickness flange 25, and a similar but deeper outer flange 26, shown as inset slightly from the plane of the front wall 20. The flanges 25 and 26 define a downwardly opening channel 27. The longitudinal edges of the piece of sheet metal from which the rail 3 is fabricated are connected together by an interlocking seam 28. The front and rear walls 20 and 21 join the top wall 22 through flanges 29 of double thickness, and the seam 28 lies inside the plane of the top edges of said flanges.

The bottom rail 4 includes front and rear walls 30 and 31 that join, through relatively deep double thickness flanges 32, the inset bottom wall 33 that incorporates an interlocking seam 34 by which the longitudinal edges of the piece of material of which the bottom rail is constructed are secured together. The upper edge of the rear wall 31 joins the top wall 35 through a double thickness flange 36, said top Wall having a re-entrant portion that provides a narrow groove 37 at the base of a relatively deeper inwardly extending flange 39. When the door is assembled, the groove 37 registers with the grooves 17 of the stiles 1 and 2, and the flange 39 aligns with the flanges 16 of the stiles.

The cross-rail 8 is given a cross-sectional formation that provides relatively deep outer flanges 40 and 41, inset slightly from the front plane of a central head 42, which, when the door is assembled, is in substantially the plane of the front walls of the stiles 1 and 2. The flanges 40 and 41 are of double thickness and their inner sides join, through right angle portions, the forward sides of inner flanges 45 and 46, the latter being of double thickness, while flange 45 is produced by an interlocking seam that connects together the longitiidinal edges of the strip of sheet metal from which the rail is formed. Both inside flanges are narrower than the outer flanges, inner flange 4 6 exceeding in depth the height of the flange 4-5. By the formation described, upwardly and downwardly opening sash-receiving channels are provided.

The cross-rail 9 has the same outside appearance as the cross-rail 8, and is of the same vertical dimension. It includes the relatively deep double thickness outside flanges 5,0 and 51, separated by a bead 52. In about the central horizontal plane of the rail 9, the material from which the rail is fabricated is turned abruptly inwardly from the inner sides of the flanges 50 and 51 to provide a web 54 of double thickness, parts of the top and bottom layers of the same being configurated to provide flanges in inwardly spaced parallel relation to the flanges t) and 51, thereby to define a downwardly opening narrow groove 55, that registers with the grooves 17 of the stiles, and a wider upwardly opening channel 56, in vertical alignment with the channel defined by the flanges 41 and 46 of the rail 8. The inner edge portions of the layers of the web 54 are turned downwardly and interlocked at their lower d s to p ide a e ti e y deep ge 8 ng the inner side of the rail 9,, the exposed surface of said flange 58 being substantially flush with the rear walls of the stiles 1 and 2.

The door includes an equal number of interchangeable glazed and screen sashes, the number of each corresponding to the number of sash openings, there being two such openings, designated A and B, respectively, in the present instance. This number, however, is to be taken as illustrative, rather than as limiting. The glazed sashes, designated G, are shown in the drawings as occupying the sash openings, while the screen sashes S are shown as occupying the storage compartment C. The sashes include relatively thin frames 1, desirably formed from sheet metal, and incorporated in the side members of the frames f are keys k consisting of flat pieces of metal, appropriately shaped, that are secured to buttons b that are rotatably mounted in the frames 1 and have slotted heads, resembling the heads of screws. These keys, of themselves, form no part of the invention, as they are common in the art.

As a simple and convenient means of positioning or centering the sashes in the sash openings, screws 60 are threaded through the inner edge walls 12; of the stiles l and 2 a suitable distance above the bottom of each sash pe in a be t shown n Figs, 3 4 an By adius ment of the screws 60, the sashes may be properly located transversely of the openings, and any slight irregularities in h i th f as es. m y b c mp ate for.

e t r o par me C: s. Pe manen y c e at the front by a panel 62, the same being rectangular and of such size that its edges are confined within the grooves 17 of the stiles, the groove 37 of the bottom rail 4 and the groove 55 of the cross-rail 9. 65 denotes a receptacle for the idle sashes, when stored in the compartment C. The receptacle consists of a panel-like wall of somewhat less area than the panel 62, and extending forwardly from the edges of said wall are top, bottom and side flanges 66, 67 and 68., respectively. A shallow flange or lip 69 extends upwardly from the front ed Of the bottom flange 67. v

n. or the i s sh the are. pla ed n fa ets-face, contact within the receptacle 65, the receptacle is then returned to the storage compartment by first inserting its top within the space forwardly of the flange 58 o the l 9, d ne tw s he bo om at t e r c ntacle forwardly over the flange 36, finally dropping the receptacle onto, the top wall 35 of the bottom rail 4 Where it is confined between the flange 36 and the front panel 62. To facilitate insertionand removal; of the receptacle the same is, equipped with handles. 7Q.

To nse t the s h s Wi in th sa h eni gs A. and. 3 s t n edge ar g e in, t e ch nne s. t t

tops of said openings, and the sashes are then swung forwardly so that their lower edges may be dropped into the channels along the bottoms of the openings, as will readily be understood by reference to Fig. 2.

With the sashes thus inserted, the buttons b, by means of a screw driver or the like, are turned to project the keys k into the grooves 17 of the stiles 1 and 2. This looks the sashes against inward displacement so that any attempt to remove them by lifting them so as to disengage their lower edge from the bottom channels of the sash openings and swinging the sashes inwardly, is effectively foiled.

As I have previously pointed out, the bottom wall 33 of the bottom rail 4 is inset a considerable distance from the bottom edges of th flanges 32 and within the space thus provided is a bottom strip 75, shown in Figs. 2, l0 and 12. This strip desirably consists of a sheet metal channel. The strip is provided with end walls 76, within threaded openings of which screws 77 are engaged. Adjacent the lower end of each stile 1 and 2, the interlocking seam 15 is cut away and said wall is notched or slotted therebelow to receive the adjacent screw 77, as will best appear from Figs. 10 and 11. The bottom strip may thus be adjusted in properly spaced relation to the threshold of the door and locked in such position by the screws 77.

The stile 2 is shown as equipped with conventional hinges 80, by which the door may be attached to a door frame, and a latch 81 is incorporated in the stile 1. At each corner of the door, the end of a stile, and the adjacent end of the top or bottom rail, are suitably secured together in right angular relation and so as to provide a strong and rigid connection between the parts; and the intermediate cross-rails 8 and 9 are fastened to the stiles, desirably by riveting the ends of the top and bottom flanges of the cross-rails to the inwardly extending flanges of the stiles. The present preferred manner of connecting the ends of the cross-rails to the stiles is illustrated in detail in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the joint shown being that between the stile 1 and the adjacent end of the cross-rail 8. The ends of the flanges 4t) and 41 are severed from the adjacent central portion of the rail along longitudinal lines a distance about equal to the width of the inwardly extending flange 16 of the stile, to produce lugs 40a and 4101 that are offset forwardly to provide clearance for the heads of rivets r that are extended through apertures in said lugs and. through aligned holes in the flange 16. As will best appear from Fig. 8, the flange 16 is offset forwardly in the region of the joint.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A door of the class described comprising laterally spaced stiles, and top, bottom and intermediate rails connecting the, stiles and defining therewith an opening separated into at least three non-intercommunicating subdivisions of substantially equal area, the bottom one of which subdivisions constitutes a storage compartment and the others sash spaces, a plurality of sashes of substantially equal size and thickness, one removably supported in each sash space, and panels closing the respective front and rear sides of the storage compartment, one of said panels being releasably held in place by interengagement with the, adjacent rails and therefore readily removable whereby sashes that are adapted to be substituted for certain of the former sashes may be stored for convenient accessibility, the, readily removable panel having inwardly directed supporting means at the bottom thereof whereon stored sashes are adapted to rest.

2. A door according to claim 1, wherein the readily removablev panel has an inwardly directed bottom flange constituting said supporting means and an upstanding lip at the side of said flange remote from said panel thereby to provide a channel wherein the lower edges of stored sashes arev adapted to. be contained.

3. A door according to claim 1, wherein said readily removable panel has inwardlydirected peripheral flanges that form, with said panel, a receptacle for the sashes to be stored, one of said flanges being at the bottom of the removable panel and constituting said supporting means.

4. In a door of the class described, laterally spaced substantially parallel stiles exhibiting along their opposed edges, approximately from top to bottom thereof and adjacent their front sides, inwardly extending flanges, and narrow grooves at the rear of and substantially coextensive in length with said flanges closely adjacent thereto, top, bottom and intermediate rails connecting the stiles and defining therewith an opening separated into at least three non-intercommunicating subdivisions of substantially equal area, the bottom subdivision providing a storage compartment and the subdivisions thereabove constituting sash openings, a plurality of sashes of substantially equal size capable of being emplaced forwardly into the sash openings and engaged with the rear sides of the aforesaid flanges, said narrow grooves being adapted to receive laterally extensible holding means carried by the sashes, the opposed edges of the bottom rail and the adjacent intermediate rail exhibiting flanges and narrow grooves substantially in the plane of the flanges and grooves, respectively, of the stiles, a rectangular panel closing the front of the storage compartment and having its four edges permanently contained within the grooves of the stiles and said rails, and a second panel capable of being emplaced forwardly into, and constituting a removable closure for the inner side of, the storage compartment.

5. A door according to claim 4, wherein the second mentioned panel is provided with .a forwardly extending flange along its bottom edge, said flange having an upstanding lip along its edge remote from the panel.

6. A door according to claim 5, wherein the bottom rail is provided with a shallow upstanding flange along its top inside corner, and the cross-rail thereabove is provided with a relatively deep depending flange along its inner edge, the second mentioned panel being of such height that when its upper edge is engaged with the cross-rail inwardly of said depending flange, its lower edge will swing clear of said upstanding flange of the bottom rail, said second mentioned panel being equipped with means for lifting it.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 761,733 Wahlstrom June 7, 1904 780,902 Muller Jan. 24, 1905 1,221,478 Sajtos Apr. 3, 1917 1,314,959 Gruen Sept. 2, 1919 1,316,283 Denny Sept. 16, 1919 1,415,920 Cizek May 16, 1922 1,426,267 Fisher Aug. 15, 1922 1,877,280 Deats Sept. 13, 1932 1,919,419 Dudley July 25, 1933 2,159,530 Murphy May 23, 1939 2,402,112 Gee June 11, 1946 2,482,592 Miller et al. Sept. 20, 1949 2,559,005 Brown et a1. July 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 654,213 Germany 1931 

